China‘s top diplomat has hailed his country’s strong friendship with Russia as concerns remain over what role Beijing could play in the war in Ukraine. Wang Yi was on a visit to Russia when he said the countries will reach a “new consensus” on advancing their relationship.
He said: “Today I am willing to further exchange views with you, my old friend, on the advancement of our mutual relationship, and I think we will definitely reach new consensus.
“No matter how the international situation changes, China has been and remains willing to maintain the positive trend with Russia in building a new type of cooperative relationship between major powers.”
Wang also told Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia’s Security Council and one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, that Beijing’s ties with Moscow are “solid as a rock.”
Wang continued: “Sino-Russian relations are mature and solid as a rock, and will withstand the test of the changing international situation.
“We are ready, together with the Russian side, in accordance with top-level agreements, to resolutely defend national interests and dignity, and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas.”
In response, Patrushev said Russia and China can become strong allies against pressure from the West.
He then falsely accused the West of “unleashing” the “bloody events” in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, recently warned that China is considering sending lethal aide to Russia to help bolster its forces in Ukraine.
He told CBS: “The concern that we have now is, based on information we have, that they’re considering providing lethal support. And we’ve made very clear to them that that could cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship.”
But China hit back at this claim. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said: “The US is not qualified to give orders to China. We will never accept US criticism, even coercion and pressure on China-Russia relations.”
He added that China’s position on Ukraine “can be simply put as promoting peace talks.”
Wang continued: “China will continue to firmly stand on the side of dialogue and peace and play a constructive part in easing the situation.”
*This story has not been edited by The Infallible staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.
